Hello from Somerset

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Chutzpah

Über Member
Location
Somerset, UK
Hi everyone,

Looks like the done thing to do first on this forum is to say hello. So hello!

I've been lurking on some of the boards, looking every couple of days but never getting around to registering. Now seems as good a time as any.

I bought my bike (nothing special, from Halfords) in 2007 and enjoyed riding it around. I then moved for work reasons to Basingstoke, where unfortunately it languished doing nowt (I didn't find the town all that bike friendly). Two house moves later, now a father and an ever increasing belly I decided to get the bike out of the shed in early July. I pedalled about five miles and returned home with a smile on my face. I remembered why I enjoyed riding a bike.

I started off with cycling every couple of days, gradually going further. I would set myself mini-challenges (and still do), mainly along the lines of "I wonder if I could reach place X?"

I also started doing Sky Ride local rides around my way, I've found it great to be in a group and picking up some riding tips.

I've now progressed to doing part of my commute by bike. Technically I could cycle the whole route if I wanted (10 miles each way), but it's pretty hilly where I live and we have no showers at work. So I started by driving to the edge of town and cycling the last 2.5 miles. It's downhill in the morning and uphill (sweaty) on the way home - perfect! I'm now cycling the last 5.5 miles, I just park in a quiet village, go through the country lanes and then out onto the main road, passing all the queuing cars. Lovely.

I've been enjoying that so much that Wednesday (heavy rain and recovering from an illness) was the first time I drove all the way to work in about a month. That felt weird. I got used to knowing exactly how long the cycling part of the commute would take, and suddenly was getting stuck in traffic in random places again.

One thing I have discovered though is the never ending money drain for cycling. Come on you lot, I was led to believe cycling was good for the wallet, and doing part of the commute would save me money. But let's try to think what I've spent money on....

  • Rain jacket
  • Baggy cycle shorts
  • Gloves
  • Mud guards
  • New shoes (so I could leave a pair in work and avoid carrying them in each day)
  • Extra lights
  • Roof bars and cycle carrier
  • Smoother tyres for my mountain bike
  • Service
  • Saddle bag
  • Pump
  • Child trailer for the toddler
  • Probably more stuff, but my memory fails me

....and of course, now my thoughts are turning to winter cycling kit. Oh, and I managed to buy a set of panniers today, and need to get a rack for them tomorrow....

On the plus side, it makes me happier than pumping money into a car. And the health benefits truly are awesome - the weight is dropping off and I pretty much dozed my way through a 28 mile charity ride last Sunday, when I know for a fact in July it would have knackered me out (the wife wasn't impressed when I said I wanted to go around again.......) A billion times better than the gym

So that's my mini life story, looking forward to chatting with you all
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Midnight

New Member
Location
On the coast
Hi Chutzpah, and Welcome :hello:

Great to hear that you're getting plenty of enjoyment from your cycling - the best reason for any lifestyle change, and the health benefits are an added bonus, a winner all round. Just keep increasing the mileage and you'll increase the pleasure :biggrin:
 

summerdays

Cycling in the sun
Location
Bristol
Its as expensive or not as you make it ... you can survive without a lot of those items but its much nicer with them. And some such as mudguards don't need replacing very often. I've now found that its definitely settled down, and it just seems to be the odd wheel or worn out jacket to replace now. And every now and again you get tempted by the next "brightest light ever!" :biggrin:
 
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Chutzpah

Über Member
Location
Somerset, UK
Its as expensive or not as you make it ... you can survive without a lot of those items but its much nicer with them. And some such as mudguards don't need replacing very often. I've now found that its definitely settled down, and it just seems to be the odd wheel or worn out jacket to replace now. And every now and again you get tempted by the next "brightest light ever!" :biggrin:

I hear what you're saying, but the convenience of most (e.g. shoving the wet bike straight on the roof rather than folding the back seat down and removing the front wheel) convinced me to hand my card over. I was considering going clipless but decided maybe that's a cost for next year.

Got the rack today, fitted and tested, now I can literally go anywhere..... maybe..... :tongue:
 

Davidc

Guru
Location
Somerset UK
Welcome.

When it comes to spending money on bikes join the club. I don't quite agree with Summerdays, I find that long term it just varies but is at its peak when I buy a new bike.
 
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Chutzpah

Über Member
Location
Somerset, UK
What a great intro ... welcome to the forum

Simon

Thanks
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By the way, totally agree with the quote in your signature - " It Never Gets Easier ~ You Just Go Faster "

I use RunKeeper on Android to track my cycling. One day I was cycling up the big hill out of work and thought "I'm sure this isn't getting easier". But a check of my saved rides showed that I was actually going about 3mph faster up the hill compared to when I started. Also noticed that I'm pedalling in a higher gear on most sections too. Definitely gave me a confidence boost.
 
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